• Bernie has placed the issue of America’s corrupt campaign finance system front and center on the political agenda. And he’s done it not only with words but with deeds, raising over $200 million from over 8 million individual contributions averaging $27, while Hillary has relied on larger contributions and several Super PACs. Until millionaires, billionaires and corporations are no longer allowed to buy our elections, it’s unlikely that we will solve any of the nation’s serious problems. Bernie is leading the way.

• Bernie has made “democratic socialism” a word that can now be spoken in polite company. 42% of Iowa Democratic caucus-goers identified themselves as socialists. A year ago, I doubt if the number would have been 4%. Increasingly, younger people reject unfettered, unregulated neoliberal forms of capitalism and are looking for an alternative. Bernie has started to provide one.

• Bernie has set the political agenda for the Democratic Party and the progressive movement while Hillary has followed meekly behind. He has made the issue of economic inequality one of the pressing issues of our times. Raising the minimum wage to $15; guaranteeing healthcare to all Americans; making it possible for every student who wants it to get a free college education at a public institution; increasing social security benefits by lifting the cap on social security taxes for wealthy taxpayers; creating well-paying jobs by investing in our crumbling infrastructure; taxing Wall Street transactions; breaking up the biggest banks who tanked the economy and threw millions out of work; opposing corporate-friendly trades deals that send American jobs overseas: These are the winning issues for Democrats. Hillary and the Democratic Party would be wise to appropriate much of Bernie’s programs if they want to defeat Trump and win over voters who’ve been left out of the neoliberal global economy.

• Bernie has emphasized that climate change is the existential issue of our times. He opposes fracking. And he wants to put a tax on carbon. Adequately addressing climate change could literally determine the future of the human race on this planet.

After breaking camp at Yellowstone, as recounted here, Crystal Dancer and I headed for Jackson, Wyoming to visit Grand Tetons National Park. As the south road out of Yellowstone still hadn't been opened, we exited the park to the west, then went south through Montana and Idaho, then back east into Jackson. This turned a two-hour trip into a four-hour trip, but we didn't mind, mostly. The downside was a maniac, who passed us and two other cars, crossing the double-yellow on a blind hill to do so. I was holding my breath when he got back in the right lane, not 30 yards from the crest of the hill. Fortunately, there was no oncoming traffic.

The upside was getting a look at the Grand Tetons from the Idaho side ...

These are spectacular mountains, the youngest range in the Rocky Mountains. As such they are marked by steep inclines, knife-sharp ridges and the absence of foothills.

The Teton fault extends 40 miles along the base of the Teton Range. About ten million years ago, this region began to stretch and the Earth's crust cracked forming faults. Each time the crust broke; an earthquake up to magnitude 7.5 shook the land tilting the mountains skyward and dropping the valley floor. These sporadic bursts of energy created the abrupt front of the Teton Range as it towers above Jackson Hole. At 13,770 feet, the summit of the Grand Teton rises 7,000 feet above the valley floor. Total vertical displacement across this fault may be up to 30,000 feet. The floor of Jackson Hole may have dropped over 20,000 feet, roughly three times as much as the mountains rose. The jagged skyline, vertical relief and lack of foothills make the Teton Range a sight to behold.

Beginning two million years ago, glaciers repeatedly scoured and sculpted the Teton landscape. Large masses of ice flowed from the topographic high of the Yellowstone Plateau down across the valley of Jackson Hole numerous times leveling the valley floor. At the same time, alpine glaciers flowed down from the high peaks carving U-shaped canyons and gouging out valley lakes. Grand Teton National Park contains many features created during the ice age such as piedmont lakes, U-shaped canyons, knife-like ridges, kettles, and moraines.

Our first day was overcast and we were prepared to be disappointed, but ended up with some fantastic views of the mountains.

As seen from the Snake River overlook, where Ansel Adams took a better picture ...

By the time we got to Jackson Lake, the mountains were cloaked in clouds and a snowstorm was brewing.

We watched it roll down the valley, confined by the steep walls ...

...then head towards us across the lake.

That night we had dinner in Jackson, then went to the Wort Hotel for some live music. That place was rocking!

The next day we awoke to mostly clear skies, and another fantastic day for sightseeing and photography ...

There are over 230 miles of hiking trails in Grand Tetons National Park. We chose a 4-mile round trip hike with a modest 400 feet of elevation change (at nearly 7,000 feet already, us 60-somethings have to pace ourselves).

The trail crosses, then parallels this mountain stream, rushing with snowmelt at the time of our visit ...

This led us to beautiful Taggart Lake ...

A fantastic place, with fantastic views of fantastic mountains. Truly breathtaking and wondrous. Go see them if you can.

There is mounting evidence that Hillary Clinton supporters have been sabotaging the Bernie Sanders campaign, and the trail leads to the Democratic National Committee and a “national security” think tank made up of current and former Clinton supporters, staff, and contributors.

...

The presence of Caiazzo and Dew in the Sanders organization raises deeper questions about the Clinton campaign. Both are also employed by the Truman National Security Project, a quasi-liberal think tank populated by a gaggle of neo-conservatives who believe foreign policy should be “grounded in a strong military.”

...

The organization’s mission is to “unite next-generation veteran, political, and policy leaders to develop and advance strong, smart, and principled solutions to the global challenges Americans now face.” Their members include “military, policy and political leaders at the national, state, and local level, many of whom have served their country in conflict zones around the world.”

In a 2012 article on antiwar.com, Kelley B. Vlahos called this group little more than a “re-election campaign that promises to keep the war machine humming no matter who is elected to office.” On closer inspection, Truman’s Board and Advisory Board are a who’s who of representatives from the billionaire class Sanders is consistently referencing: defense contractors, private security, venture capitalists, tech investors, multinational realtors, Big Pharma, and the lobbyists who connect them:

The article goes on to show the deep ties between the Clinton campaign and military contractors. Kudos to Barbara With for her research on this.